white_pinefandomcom-20200213-history
The Harker Building
The Harker Building is one of the taller and sterner-looking office buildings in Downtown Portland. It’s not a new building, but it was completely remodeled inside when the Union took over, so the interior still has that new smell. There are several ‘businesses’ that have offices in the building, all of them either directly belonging to the Union (in the upper floors) or indirectly (the lower floors). The Harker Building is clearly marked, but only the ground floor is open to the public- there’s a coffee shop and a news stand, among some other incidental shops. The other floors simply do not house businesses that interface with the public, so most people stay away. Though the Union presence in Maine goes back to colonial days, the Harker Building in Portland is a relatively recent acquisition of just over fifteen years. Before that they were scattered throughout a few different buildings. Though now centralized, the Union presence has neither increased nor decreased. Currently, and for the past decade, there has been a stalemate with the Traditionalists, neither side populous or well-funded enough to get the upper hand over the other. Maine is considered a write off by the Technocracy at large, as it is the least populous state east of the Mississippi River. The agents of the Harker Building happen to disagree. Perhaps because of the low population, it seems there are more Reality Deviants of certain types than might be found elsewhere; this means they have their hands quite full. Nodes : Beneath the Harker Building are three floors of laboratories, two of which are biological in nature, the third is dedicated to technology and more general research. Below the lowest lab is an energy well and the machines necessary to tap it. The elevator does not show any indication of this hidden fourth basement, and you have to have security clearance level 3 to access it (2 quintessence per week). In addition to the fourth basement, the Union has in its possession three other weak node sites, though not all of them have been properly tapped as yet. Each one houses secret offices nearby, however. Two of these sites are reclaimed from Traditionalist chantries that fell during the conflict over a decade ago. Central Command : The Harker Building and it’s satellite offices and laboratories are all connected through Central Command, a technomancer realm. Usually what an agent with the proper clearance will see (security level three) is the inside of central command- a labyrinthine complex of offices and labs arranged in a circle around the actual central command itself. Outside the office is a bizarre jungle of strange flora and fauna, revealing part of the nature of this realm (Correspondence and Life). Several of the more predatory creatures serve as a kind of security for the realm. Construct : The Harker Building has ten floors above ground; as previously stated, the ground floor is open to the public, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t watched. Floors two through seven house business that aid the union, but don’t know it- the employees are all sleepers or unenlightened agents. Floors eight through ten contain offices for enlightened agents, each office with a nice view and well appointed. There aren’t that many agents in the area, after all. There are four basement levels; the first houses general and technological labs, the second houses medical labs, and the third houses biological experimental labs. Basement Four is the energy node of the Harker Building, and is floor through which Central Command can be reached. :: Supervisor: Zavia "Enyo" Nichols, Panopticon (Reclaimer) External Relations : : At this time, the Harker Building construct is at a stalemate with the Traditionalist mages, and instead of facing these foes head-on, the energy of most agents is channeled towards managing other reality deviants. The Union is of course watchful for an opportunity to eliminate their rivals, and have wiped out several small chantries in the past. Category:Setting Information Category:Mage